Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power
by A.Z.E. Nildran
Summary: The Gem of Truth has been discovered once again. A young girl and her friends must destroy it. Can they do it, without being corrupted by the gem's power?
1. Part I: The Finding of the Gem

Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part I  
  
"How much for this?" I asked, holding up a jet-black urn for Lady Osiri to inspect.  
  
"500 neopoints," she replied, not even looking to see what I'd chosen. I whistled, carefully setting the urn back down. 500 NP isn't in my budget at the moment. I like shopping for pottery, when it's cheap. Once, I found a pot for 50 NP in someone's shop. I'm Taiyani, a 13-year-old girl. You've probably never heard of me, I'm not well known. I have one pet, Kyonga, who is a female blue zafara. We live in a small neohome in Neopia Central.  
  
"Kyonga, we're going," I called, coming out of Osiri's tent to find Kyonga digging a hole in the burning hot sand of the Lost Desert.  
  
"Tai," she whined, still digging her hole. It was getting deep now. "Do we have to go?" Suddenly a clump of sand flew up to hit me in the face.  
  
"Kyonga!" I yelled, shaking sand out of my shoulder-length nearly white blonde hair.  
  
"Sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to."  
  
I grimaced. "Let's go."  
  
"Wait!"  
  
What now?" I asked, sounding nearly as whiny as she did.  
  
"I think I found something," Kyonga replied.  
  
"Really? What?" I asked her, slightly more interested. She held up a little stone jar. It looked something like Lady Osiri's pottery, only much older and a different shape than Osiri would make. It also seemed to be granite, not the black stone Osiri used.  
  
I raised an eyebrow quizzically and took the jar from Kyonga. "And it was just sitting in the hole?" I asked incredulously.  
  
"Well, yeah," she replied.  
  
"Weird," I muttered. "Let's bring it home with us."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Kyonga. She almost sounded scared. "There's got to be a reason it's here."  
  
"Oh yeah?" I countered. "Like what?"  
  
"Uh...we...I dunno, but there's got to be a reason."  
  
"Hmmm," I mumbled, slowly turning the jar to get a better look at it. It was dark gray, with flecks of white, and had strange looking gold symbols engraved in the surface.   
I tried to unscrew the jar, but it seemed to be glued shut. "Ergh, I can't open it. Let's worry about this later," I told Kyonga. "Why don't we go home?"  
  
"Okay," replied Kyonga, getting up from her bed of sand and bounding off across the Desert.  
  
***  
  
"How on Neopia are we going to get this open?" I grumbled to myself.   
  
"Break it?" Kyonga jokingly suggested. I glared at her. We'd gotten home to Neopia Central from the Lost Desert and were now trying to open the mysterious jar.  
  
"Hey, I was just joking!"   
  
I grinned at that. "I know." Kyonga grinned back and flopped down on our couch. I sank into a soft green chair. "Got any ideas?" I asked.  
  
"Well, not really," she said hesitantly.  
  
"What do you mean 'not really'?"  
  
"Well, I was just thinking that it might work to run the jar under hot water. I kinda doubt it though," Kyonga told me.  
  
  
I stared at her. "How did you know that?" She shrugged. "We might as well try it."  
  
I got up and took the gray jar into the kitchen. Kyonga followed me and jumped up onto the counter. I shook my head. "You know you're not supposed to be up there."  
  
She just ignored me. "Too bad." I turned on the faucet and held the jar under the powerful jet of water. Taking the jar away from the faucet, I turned it off and tried to open the small jar. The lid moved a little, but not much. "One more time," Kyonga decided. I put the jar back under the faucet and turned it on, letting the water wash out the grooves of the jar. Then, firmly gripping the lid of the jar, I twisted. It came off easily.   
  
"Ta-da!" I exclaimed. Kyonga grinned broadly.   
  
"Anything in there?" she asked, trying to peer into the jar.  
  
Ummm, I'm not sure," I told her uncertainly. Reaching into the little gray jar, I pulled out a large, dusty blue stone. "Oh my gosh look at this!" I screeched. At that moment the doorbell of our neohome rang loudly. I rolled my eyes and went to answer it. Stone still in hand. I expected it was some newbie begging or something. I stead it was my friend Alysen. She has freckles and strawberry blonde hair, and is one of my best friends.   
  
"Hey, Taiya, what's up?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, not much," I replied. "I just found this weird stone. Come on in." Leading the way into the house, I handed her the jewel that I still had in my hand. She nearly dropped it.  
  
"My gosh, it's heavy! Where'd you find it?" Alysen exclaimed.   
  
"I know," I replied. "We found it in the Lost Desert." Just then, Kyonga skipped into the room carry8ing a wet cloth.   
  
"Let's wipe it off so it isn't so dusty," she said, obviously talking about the sapphire blue crystal.  
  
"Okay," I said. Alysen handed the stone to Kyonga. She wiped the rag over the jewel until it shown. I gasped and took the beautiful shining stone from her.  
  
"Wow," I said reverently. "It's amazing." Absentmindedly fingering the gem, I asked the question we'd all been thinking. "What do you think it is?"  
  
To tell the truth, Alysen said, "I haven't a clue."  
  
"Neither do I," Kyonga chirped from her position on the floor. "And I'd like to know why it was buried in a jar in the Lost Desert," I put in.  
  
"Can I see the jar?" asked Alysen.  
  
"Sure," I replied, leading he way into the kitchen where the small jar still sat. Alysen picked it up and looked inside.   
  
"Hey look!" she exclaimed. "Something else is in here!"  
  
What?" I gasped. She reached into the jar and pulled out a little rolled up piece of paper. Alysen handed it to me and I carefully unrolled it. There were words on the paper, but they were very hard to read. I sat down in a kitchen chair and peered at the paper. Though faint, I could read the message, and here is what it said:  
  
  
  
"To whoever finds this:  
First, I should tell you who I am. I am Sakirina, the one-time bearer of the stone you have found. The stone is called the Gem of Truth, and is very powerful. You can use it for magic, but only if you have a truthful heart. You should also know that, while the Gem of Truth can be useful to you, it can also cause destruction. That is a risk you must take. You are now the bearer of this power. Good luck."  
  
After having read the note aloud, I sat there in stunned silence. "Why do you suppose this Sakirina person buried the gem in the Lost Desert," asked Kyonga.  
  
"Who knows? Maybe because it causes destruction, like she said," replied Alysen.  
  
"That's possible," I said at last. "But I don't really think so."  
  
"Why not?" Kyonga asked, sitting in the chair across from me.  
  
"I don't know. I wonder how Sakirina knew whoever found the gem was supposed to be its bearer," I replied.  
  
"Maybe she knew that it would be the fate of whoever found it to be the bearer," Alysen told us.  
  
"Then that would mean that Kyonga and I have to be the bearer," I concluded uneasily. "Can we do it?"  
  
Kyonga looked at me bravely. "I'll do it. Will you?" she said.  
  
"I think I have to," I replied, sounding braver than I felt.  
  
"I'll help!" Alysen exclaimed. "I'd do almost anything for some adventure. Life is so boring sometimes."  
  
"Really? Great! Let's Neomail Dialin and see if she wants to help too," I decided, getting up and going tot he computer. Dialin was another of our friends. She had brown hair and eyes, and lived on Mystery Island, but could easily get here because her red eyrie, Tensio, could fly her. As I sat down in my computer thinking what to write, Kyonga looked out the window, paws on the sill. She giggled.  
  
"Uh, Tai? I think Dialin is here already."  
  
"What?" I shot out of the chair and went to look out the window, Alysen following. Dialin was coming up the walk, Tensio and a purple grundo I'd never seen before in tow. I grinned and went to open the door.   
  
"He y'all!" Dialin called. Kyonga bounded out the door to talk to Tensio.   
  
"Hey Di!" I called, stepping on the porch. "Who's the grundo?"  
  
"That's Hallazi. Just adopted her from the pound," she replied. Alysen went to get the gem and the note. Dialin and I sat down and I began to relay the events of the last hour and a half. Alysen came back out and sat down next to me, handing the note and the gem to Dialin. She read the note and carefully examined the Gem of Truth. "Weird," she said finally.  
  
Suddenly I noticed that Hallazi was just standing on the walkway. "Kyonga, Tensio!" I called. They came racing over.   
  
"What?" asked Tensio, out of breath.  
  
"I think Hallazi is feeling left out-let her play with you," I ordered.  
  
"Yes, mom," Kyonga muttered, rolling her eyes. They went to talk to Hallazi.   
  
"So what are you going to do about this?" asked Dialin.  
  
"There's not much we can do," I replied. "I guess we just have to accept that we need to be the gem bearers."  
  
"Why do I have a feeling you're getting yourself into trouble saying that," Alysen asked.  
  
"Because I probably am," I replied, giggling.  
5  
  
  
1 


	2. Part II: Learning More

Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part II  
  
I awoke the next morning to find Kyonga bouncing at the foot of my bed. "Good morning, Tai!" she chorused.  
  
"No it's not," I said grumpily. I hate mornings if I don't get to sleep in.  
  
Alysen and Dialin had gone home the evening before, and now it was just Kyonga and I. A very happy, hyper Kyonga.   
  
I stumbled into the kitchen and pulled a box of Neocrunch and a carton of Kau Kau Farm Milk out of the refrigerator. "What's the cereal doing in the fridge?" I asked Kyonga, who had followed me into the kitchen. She grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Oops."   
  
I rolled my eyes. "You're weird," I said decidedly.  
  
"Why of course I am!" she exclaimed. I started shoveling cereal into my mouth. Kyonga just sat there watching me. "Alysen and Dialin are coming in half an hour," she told me. I nearly choked on my Neocrunch.  
  
"What?!" I screeched.   
  
"Can't change it," she said smugly. "They're probably on their way now." Rolling my eyes at her, I bolted out of the kitchen up to my room like a deer running from a hunter to get dressed. I dug in my closet for something to wear, like I usually do. Throwing on an orange shirt, jeans, and shoes, I grabbed the gem off my nightstand where I had left it and ran downstairs just as Kyonga answered the door.  
  
"Hey Taiya," Alysen said, coming into the house. Kyonga was busy saying hello to Alysen's two pets, Enclella and Tilando. Enclella was a blumaroo and Tilando was a kougra. Both of them were painted Christmas. "Anything new happen with the gem?"  
  
"No, I was so tired last night I didn't have time to experiment with it," I replied.  
  
"Then let's experiment now!" Alysen decided, just as Dialin, Tensio, and Hallazi came up the walk. I herded them all inside and shut the door. There were eight pets and humans all together in the room, and we barely fit. I looked around the room, hoping to find something that would give me an idea of what to do.  
  
"Hmmm," I muttered, hands on hips. "I think I have an idea."  
  
"What?" Dialin asked, coming to stand beside me.   
  
"I was thinking maybe we could use the gem like a Battledome ability," I replied.   
  
"Hey, that's a good idea," she exclaimed. "Tensio, come here." The eyrie walked over to stand beside Dialin. Tensio was the battledomer of the group.  
  
"What?" he asked. I handed him the gem.   
  
"Try to use this like a Battledome ability. Make it one you don't have so we can be sure it's the gem that's giving you the power for the ability," I told Tensio.   
  
"Okay, I'll try." Sweat came to Tensio's face as he concentrated on the gem in his paw. "I can't."  
  
"Are you sure?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah. With normal Battledome abilities I can just wish to do it and it will happen. Not with this," he replied. He turned the gem over and over in his paws.  
  
"Maybe if you try something that isn't a real Battledome ability," Alysen suggested, coming over to stand next to us.  
  
"Like what?" Tensio asked.  
  
Alysen shrugged. "Like moving something." She pointed to a Blue Glazed Vase that was sitting on a table in the corner. "Try to pick that up. Don't worry Taiya, I'll pay for it if it breaks."  
  
"Whatever," I mumbled. "You don't have to pay for it." I didn't particularly like the vase anyway.  
  
"Okay." Tensio held the gem out toward the vase. He looked at the vase hard. Slowly, but surely, it lifted off the table.  
  
"You did it!" Kyonga, who had come to watch, shrieked. Surprised, Tensio lost his concentration on the vase and dropped it.  
  
"Oops," apologized Kyonga. "Sorry Tai."  
  
"That's okay-I didn't like the vase a whole lot anyway."  
  
"So...now we know how it works. Now what?" Dialin asked.  
  
"Uh... I dunno," I replied.  
  
"Maybe we should see if a human can use the gem like a Battledome ability," suggested Tilando.  
  
"That's a good idea," I decided. "Let me see the gem." Tensio handed me the gem and I held it up, concentrating on a lamp in the corner. I shut my eyes and wished for the lamp to turn off. When I opened my eyes I saw that the lamp had gone dark.  
  
"It worked!" I exclaimed, happy.   
  
"Great," Dialin said.  
  
"Can I see the note again?" Alysen asked.  
  
"Sure," I answered, getting up to retrieve Sakirina's note from the desk by the window. Looking out at the gray sky, I saw a shadow move near the Dwarf Tree in the yard. Believing it just to be a stray Doglefox or something like that, I went back to the couch Alysen was sitting on and handed her the note.  
  
"Here. Be careful with it, it's already crumbling a little," I said, pointing out the bit of crumbled paper I'd noticed last night.   
  
"It must be really old," Kyonga commented.   
  
"Yeah," Enclella said quietly, peering at the browned note.  
  
Alysen reread the note, then handed it back to me. "I wonder what Sakirina meant by the gem causing destruction. It's not like it can think on its own."  
  
"Dunno. I don't know much about magic," Dialin answered.  
  
"All power does both good and evil," Hallazi said softly. We all turned to look at her.  
  
"How do you know that?" Dialin asked her incredulously. She shrugged.  
  
"I have seen many things."  
  
"I think there are a few things we should know," I said. "Like why Hallazi sounds so wise.  
  
"Hallazi?" Dialin prompted.  
  
"There is something you should know," Hallazi decided. "There was once a wizard, who was both wise and powerful. He traveled many lands, and knew many people. He created the Gem of Truth, hoping to do good. Though he was wise, he had no knowledge of the power that the gem held. It soon corrupted him, and so, the gem past through many hands. No once can predict the future of the Gem of Truth-though many will try-for it makes it's own choices."  
  
There was a silence like a lake on an utterly calm day. Then, "There is much we do not yet know. Hallazi, I think-" Alysen never had a chance to finish her sentence.  
  
To be continued...  
3  
  
  
1 


	3. Part III: Fighting the Grundos

Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part III  
  
Mutant grundos were streaming in the windows, armed with various weapons. An extremely large grundo bust the door, ducking to fit through the doorway. Most of the pets in the room froze in surprise, except for Tensio, Hallazi, and me. Tensio drew his Million Degree Sword, I held up the gem, and Hallazi grabbed a nearby chair.   
  
"Guys!" I yelled. "Snap out of it! Come on, grab a weapon."  
  
The lead grundo took a swipe at me with his Grundo Sword of Justice. I ducked and held the gem out in front of me. "Taiya! Wish for something!" Tensio called.  
  
"Like what?" I asked desperately.   
  
"I don't know! Smash a table on his head or something!" he told me, running a grundo through with his sword.  
  
Dodging another lunge of the grundo's, I remembered a Grand Lightning Beam that I kept just in case. Tightly clutching the gem, I wish for the wand to come to me. It appeared in my hand, and I used it to blast my attacker.   
  
Chancing a quick glance at the rest of my group, I saw that Dialin, Alysen, and the rest of the pets had come out of their daze. They grabbed any handy furniture they could find and joined the fight. I noticed that having the gem in hand made me a better fighter. Blasting another grundo, I managed to escape the fight for a second. Gasping, I looked around.  
  
Enclella and Tilando were back to back, fighting two grundos at once. Noticing them, I levitated a table above one of the grundo's heads. Smashing it down, I sneaked up behind the other grundo. Blasting his with my Lightning Beam, I looked around at the other pets in the room. Dialin had collapsed on the couch, Alysen was sitting down on a chair that looked as if it were about to lose one of its legs, and the rest of the pets in the room were either sitting on the floor or leaning against the walls. The enemy was defeated.  
  
"Is anybody hurt?" I asked shakily.  
  
"I've got a few scratches," Tensio said.  
  
"Me too," added Hallazi and Enclella.  
  
"Okay, I think I have some healing potions." I ran to the bathroom and looked in a cupboard. I pulled down three healing potions and went back to the living room, distributing the potions as needed.  
  
I collapsed in a nearby vacant chair and looked around at the ruined chairs and tables. "Who d'you think those mutant grundos were?" I asked wearily, toeing the body of the extra large grundo. Hallazi started to examine another grundo.  
  
"Hey, what's this?" she asked, puling a necklace off the grundo. As soon as the necklace was free of it, the grundo and necklace vanished. I gasped and knelt to inspect the big grundo. It too, had a necklace. The necklace had a strange symbol on it. It looked something like two intertwined cobralls. I pulled it off the grundo, and the necklace vanished along with the mutant pet.  
  
"This is really weird," Dialin remarked. Alysen nodded. We went around removing necklaces from the grundos. Each necklace was exactly the same. I shivered. This was too creepy. After having removed the necklaces from the grundos, I collapsed into my armchair. "Now what?"  
  
"Dunno," Alysen mumbled. "I wonder what this has to do with Sakirina's warning."  
  
"Where is the note?" Alysen asked. I looked frantically around the room, searching with my eyes for the note.   
  
"It's gone!" I shrieked. "I put it down on the desk and now it's gone!"  
  
"Oh no!" Dialin exclaimed. "How could it have just disappeared?! There wasn't even anybody that could have taken it!"  
  
"I don't know!" I fumbled through the piles of unfinished stories on the desk, looking for the note, but I was positive-it was gone.  
  
"Wait a minute..." Alysen said slowly. "What if...what if one of the grundos was holding the note when it vanished?! And then the note went with it?"  
  
"You're right!" Dialin agreed. "I bet that's it."  
  
"Umm, guys? Do you realize they now know we have the gem and what it is?" Kyonga asked.  
  
"Oh, Fyora help," I muttered.  
  
"I wish I'd never dug that hole in the sand," Kyonga grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, really," Dialin said.  
  
"I think we know what Sakirina meant about 'destruction,'" Alysen decided.  
  
"Yeah..." Hallazi trailed off.  
"Maybe we should try to find out more about the gem and this Sakirina person. That guy who created the gem too," Enclella suggested.  
  
"That's a good idea," I replied. "Maybe we'll have a better chance of it with more knowledge of what the gem can do. Let's try the Neopedia."  
  
So we all filed out of the house to walk to the Neopedia. It was only a few blocks away (I chose that house for this reason because I use the Neopedia a lot for stories), so it didn't take long to get there. We were soon packing into the Neopedia building, sifting through pages of information. "Adee the chia...Advisor Wessle...Aisha Myriad...let's try the g's," I muttered to myself. "Dialin, why don't you look in the S's for Sakirina."  
  
"Okie dokie," Dialin replied. I grinned to myself. Looking for the Gem of Truth, I started sifting through the g section. "Gadgadsbogen...Garon the Lupe...wait a minute!" I separated two articles that had been stuck together. The one on the bottom was...Gem of Truth!   
  
"I fount it!" I called to the others. They hurried over, carrying the piles of paper they were currently looking through. I carried the paper over to a lamp so I could see it better. Here is what it said:  
  
The Gem of Truth is a powerful stone, which can be used for many purposes. It is a bright sapphire blue in color, and measures 4 cubic inches. The easy way to use the stone is to wish for something (such as moving an object), while holding the gem. The harder, but more reliable way, is to learn the words of power, which will work the stone. A man named Hillius Sirkeng created the stone. Not long after creating the Gem of Truth, Sirkeng discovered that the stone had unimaginable power, which no one could control for long. Sirkeng was soon corrupted by the stone, and never seen again. The last known owner of the Gem of Truth was Sakirina the lupe, a well-known adventurer.  
  
We stood in silence, gathered around the paper, barely breathing. "So Sakirina was a lupe. If she was a well-known adventurer, how come we'd never heard of her before this?" Alysen wondered.  
  
"Good question. Well known when this was written maybe, but not now," I replied.  
  
Dialin started flipping through her pile of S articles. "Hey look! I found Sakirina. That was easy."  
  
Dialin began to read the article about Sakirina. "Sakirina the lupe was an adventurer, most well known for being the bearer of the Gem of Truth. She had a few run ins with Hubrid Nox, until she finally disposed of the Gem of Truth, which was what she was after. A famous quote of hers is 'Bearing the Gem of Truth is something that gives you the glorious experience of people trying to steal it from you.'"  
  
"How fun," I muttered. "I believe those grundos were trying to steal the gem. All they got was the note."  
  
"Then they'll probably try to steal it again," Dialin said reasonably.  
  
"Why did I ever have to go to Osiri's pottery in the first place?" I replied, grimacing.  
  
"It's you fate." Alysen said mystically, giggling.  
  
"Oh great."  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
4  
  
  
1 


	4. Part IV: The Quest Begins

Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part IV  
  
"Naw rearry," I mumbled, mouth full.  
  
"Huh?" Kyonga asked.  
  
I swallowed. "Not really," I repeated.  
  
"I would think you'd be scared after reading that Neopedia article," Dialin commented.  
  
"I just feel sort of-calm I guess-after reading that. Maybe it's knowing what I'm dealing with," I replied. We hadn't found out much more about the gem, Sakirina, or Hillius Sirkeng, so we'd come home for some lunch. I took another bite of Cheese Sandwich, swallowed, and continued talking. "I do wonder what we should do next though."  
  
Everyone-all eight of us-was spread out over the expanse of the living room. On the couch, on kitchen chairs that had been dragged in for more seating space, and on the floor.   
  
Suddenly the air near the doorway rippled with yellow and silver light. A crack sounded throughout the house, and a majestic light faerie appeared. The jaws of everyone-animal and human alike-dropped. Tensio was the first to speak. "Wh-who're you?"  
  
"I am Limarae. A light faerie. I have come to tell you of the task ahead of you."  
  
"I think this answers my question," I muttered into Alysen's ear. She nodded. Limarae's eyes settled onto me.  
  
"Gem Bearer. Your task lies before you, as if laid out like a maid might set a table. You must destroy the Gem of Truth."  
  
I gasped. When I could speak again, I asked, "Why didn't anyone else try to destroy the gem?"  
  
"Oh, many have tried, but did not succeed. For it was not their fate. You are the only one who can destroy this power."  
  
I opened my mouth to reply, but Limarae answered before the words were even free of my lips. "Yes, your friends can help you, but you alone must enter the Cave of Truth. That is where the gem was made. Only there can the power be undone."  
  
"Can you tell me where the cave is?" I asked.  
  
"Yes, I can," Limarae replied. "The Cave of Truth is located on Mystery Island. It is deep in the jungles somewhere, and there are many things guarding it.  
  
"Apparently that Sirkeng guy was big on privacy," I said wryly. No one laughed. Limarae glared at me.   
  
"What kinds of things are guarding the cave?" Dialin asked. Always sensible she is.  
  
"Spells, monsters, traps. Hillius Sirkeng was a very powerful wizard, but he was close-minded. The Faerie Queen tried to persuade him not to create the Gem of Truth. He didn't listen. Foolish man."  
  
"Well, I think we should head out now," I decided. "Limarae, is there anything else we need to know?"  
  
"Yes," she replied. "I would like to speak with Hallazi, then Taiyani."  
  
I shrugged. "Sure." The light faerie smiled.  
  
"Good. Hallazi, come here please." Hallazi slowly walked forward, short purple grundo legs padding on the floor.  
  
"Yes?" Hallazi asked.  
  
"You are wise, Hallazi. Though you are young, war has aged you. As you once said, only hours ago, though it may seem like many months, you have seen many things. Go on this quest with my luck." Limarae shook Hallazi's small hand, then called to me, "Taiyani, come here."  
  
"What?" I asked, wanting to get on with the mission.  
  
"You have hard times ahead of you. A fortune-teller once told the same thing to Sakirina, the last bearer of the gem. I see the same spirit in you that I saw in her. The same recklessness." Limarae smiled. "Those who bear the Gem of Truth will walk the path of life alone. They do not have a choice in doing so. Do not forget your friends, no matter how alone you are."  
  
I nodded, embedding what she had told me into my mind. "Will I see you again?" I asked.   
  
"Most likely. And now, you must go. Good luck," Limarae replied. Alysen and Dialin came up behind me, putting their hands on my shoulders.   
  
"Let's go," Dialin said quietly.  
I nodded again, silently gathering my courage. "I must go now," Limarae said. "I will be seeing you." With a flash of yellow and silver light, the faerie was gone.  
  
"Now are you scared?" Kyonga asked.  
  
"A little," I replied.   
  
Alysen sighed and looked around the room. "I guess we should pack some food and stuff."  
  
"Yeah." I shuffled into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Pulling out two loaves of Bread and filling a few Bottles of Water, I stuck them in a backpack that Kyonga had brought into the room. Picking up my Grand Lightning Beam and the Gem of Truth, I also stuffed them into my backpack.   
  
"Anything else we need?" Alysen asked, coming into the room with an armful of coats. "I dug these out of one of your closets. It appears you haven't worn them in years."  
  
"I probably haven't." I grinned. "I never wear coats. I always wear sweatshirts. Might as well bring the coats though."  
  
I started giggling to myself. "What's so funny?" Tilando asked.  
  
"I'm just remembering a story I read once. It was about something a lot like this." I kept packing food into the backpack, still talking. "I think it was called Creation and Destruction. Come to think of it, it was almost exactly like our little predicament."   
  
"Hmmm," Dialin muttered.  
  
"Well. Are we ready?" Alysen asked.   
  
"I think so. We should get going," I replied. As I marched them all outside, I noticed a little purple slorg gliding past the porch, leaving a slimy trail of slorg slime. I raised an eyebrow, and pointed to it for Kyonga to see. She picked up the slorg in her blue zafara paws and looked it over.   
  
"Doesn't look like he belongs to anyone," Kyonga decided. "Can we keep him?"  
  
"I suppose so, if nobody comes looking for him."  
  
"Goodie! Let's call him Eotso."  
  
"Fine with me," I shrugged, continuing down the walkway of the neohome. Kyonga trailed along, tickling Eotso.   
  
"You're so cute!" Kyonga crooned. Eotso just turned into a puff of smoke, and then turned back to normal. I rolled my eyes back at her, giggling at the surprised look on her face.  
  
***  
  
As we trouped along the streets of Neopia Central, a fear began to cloud my mind. Or perhaps not fear, for surprisingly, I wasn't very afraid. The only way I could really describe it was as a shadow, gripping my heart as an octopus might grip a small fish. I kept this to myself, not wanting to frighten the others, or maybe the gem had already begun to overtake my mind, telling me not to place my trust in my friends. I was completely oblivious to the sights and sounds around me, deep in my own thoughts, attempting to sort them through.  
  
If nothing else, there was one thing I did decide. I decided that I could not throw away the Gem of Truth, not matter how much I wanted to give up. For in doing so, I would be throwing away all hope of ever destroying the gem. Or maybe not. I cannot tell the future. Either way, the gem had to be destroyed. And soon.  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
  
4  
  
  
1 


	5. Part V: The Cave of Truth

Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part V  
  
I looked uncertainly around the center of the Mystery Island market, not sure where to go next. In the night, under the cover of darkness, we had had taken a ferry to Mystery Island. Now, in the light of the late morning, we were wondering where our next steps should take us.  
  
Suddenly Enclella tugged on my sleeve. "What?" I asked absentmindedly.  
  
"I have an idea," she told me, nearly whispering.  
  
"Okay, what is it?"  
  
"I think we should ask the Island Mystic for where the cave is."  
  
"Hmmm, that is a good idea. Let's go!"  
  
And so I led our little parade of eight pets and one petpet off through the jungles of Mystery Island. Though the hut of the Island Mystic wasn't that far off, it took us a while to get there, because we had to keep stopping. First we stopped to eat lunch, then we stopped to rest, then we stopped because Kyonga had seen a Splyke, and wanted to chase after it. Finally, we reached the home of the Island Mystic.  
  
"A little stone age don't ya think?" Alysen said dryly. I grinned and went over to knock on the door, if it could be called that.  
  
"Hello?" I called.  
  
"Come in, come in," the Mystic called back. I pushed open the door, and stepped into the small room, which was barely big enough to fit all of us in. "What do you want?" The Island Mystic asked.  
  
"We want to know where the Cave of Truth is," Kyonga announced shakily, petting Eotso for comfort.  
  
"The Island Arena will open a door into the past," the small person (for it was nearly impossible to tell if they were male or female) in ragged clothes predicted, staring off into space. I raised an eyebrow, realizing that this wouldn't help much.   
  
"Thanks," Dialin muttered, backing out the door. The rest of us followed her into to the little clearing outside.  
  
"Now what?" Kyonga asked.  
  
"I suppose we might as well visit the Island Arena. I know it's not much to go on, but it's really all we have," I decided.  
The trek back to the center of Mystery Island didn't take as long as going to the Mystic's hut. Maybe because our hope of finding the Cave of Truth had been renewed, if only slightly. I think everyone had realized we needed to destroy the gem as soon as possible.  
  
By the time we reached the Island Arena, dark clouds had obscured the Sun from view, and a chill wind had picked up. Alysen passed out the heavy coats she had brought, but we were still cold. We all huddled around in a closed off section of the Arena's seats.  
  
Suddenly I noticed something. Getting up from my seat, I walked toward the giant stone techo that sat in the middle of the island. I thought I had seen a flicker of movement near a tree, and I wanted to investigate it.   
  
A white light flickered, and it seemed to be hiding behind the tree. I walked forward cautiously; hoping whatever was hiding was not dangerous. I peered around the tree and saw...air. Exasperated, I looked around. Dialin, Alysen, and the rest of the pets were laughing at me. I glowered at them. "Look behind you," Dialin gasped, still giggling.  
  
I snapped around, to see, well, I suppose you could call it a ghost. It had the shape of a lupe, but it had the sort of glow around it that a faerie had. Unlike a faerie however, it didn't seem solid. Sort of ghostlike. I gasped.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I am many people, or at least I represent many people. If you want my name, it is Sakirina," she replied.  
  
"So you're Sakirina!" I exclaimed. Suddenly a chia appeared next to Sakirina. She put her arm around him.   
  
"And this is Linkidu." Linkidu nodded and looked around at the island.   
  
"I've only been here once, but I remember it well," he said.   
  
"So, what are you here for?" Dialin asked. Sakirina looked sharply at her.  
  
"You are on a quest are you not?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but..."   
  
"And I am here to help you with your quest."  
  
"Do you know where the Cave of Truth is?" I asked, fingering the gem, which was in my pocket.  
  
"Yes, that's what we're here for. To show you where the cave is," Sakirina replied.   
  
"If you know where the cave is, why didn't you try to destroy the gem?" I wondered.  
  
"I didn't know, when I possessed the gem. It wasn't until later that I found the cave, and by then the gem was out of my control."  
  
"Besides, it would have been impossible for Sakirina to destroy the gem," Linkidu added, "without destroying herself in the process. You are the only one who can destroy it and have any chance of surviving."  
  
I gulped. "You mean it's not certain that I'll survive?"  
  
"No," Sakirina told me. "And now, we do have a gem to destroy."  
  
I nodded agreement, and took the gem out of my pocket. "Where is the Cave of Truth?"  
  
Sakirina looked at me for a moment, apparently trying to decide if I really could destroy the gem. "Yes." She walked over to the back of the giant stone techo, and showed me a small indentation in the stone.   
  
"Fit the gem in there," Linkidu told me. My friends had followed us, but stood back from the great hulking stone. I think they knew this was the point where they had to leave me, to destroy the Gem of Truth alone.   
  
I fit the gem into the little hole, and something began to creak. The rock on my right started to shift, shrinking into the rest of the stone. It looked as if it was just disappearing into the rock. Now, in the shape of a doorway, the mouth of a great cave stood, pitch black, like a pool of ink.   
  
"Take the gem," Sakirina instructed, and I did so.   
  
"Wh-what do I do now?" I asked, shivering.   
  
"You are alone now. I do not know what you must do, but when it is time, you will know." The voice came not from Sakirina, from Linkidu. It seemed to come from inside me. With no time to ponder this, I walked into the cave, leaving my friends behind, possibly forever.  
  
***  
  
I had been walking for what seemed like forever, likely because everything in the cave looked the same. In an instant, a wall loomed up in front of me, different from all the other walls surrounding me. It had a large six-pointed star, with an indented circle in the center. Each of the points of the star was a different color. Red, aqua, green, sky blue, yellow, and dark purple, almost black. I realized that these represented the elements that make up Neopia.   
  
The center of the star was the only thing that wasn't colored. Suddenly the same fear I had felt not long ago--though it seemed like it had been ages--filled my heart. I was not sure any more that I wanted to destroy the gem. Now I thought I wanted to use its power for my own purpose. To turn it against my friends. I turned to walk away from that wall, but something held me back. I tried to move my foot forward, but couldn't. I did not want to turn around and look at the wall that held the six-pointed star. It was a great battle between good and evil, or maybe two sides each wanting the same power over my mind, going on inside me. The pressure was almost unbearable.  
  
And then something snapped in my mind. Light flooded into it, breaking the spell of the gem. In that moment, many things flashed through my brain. I remembered Kyonga's cheerfulness, Dialin's sensibility, Alysen's sarcasm, and all the traits of the other pets, and people I knew. They were my friends, and I knew I would die for them. "Put the Gem of Truth in the center of the star," a voice, or maybe my own heart told me. I wheeled around and crammed the gem into the center of the star. The light of all the elements flamed, knocking me back. The lights revolved in circles above my head, then formed into the shape of a star, but this time it was all the colors blended together. Fire, water, earth, air, light, and dark.   
  
The star burst, showering rainbows down on the cave. It burst, as if struck by a giant and powerful hammer, and I was knocked out.  
  
To be continued...  
4  
  
  
1 


	6. Part VI: A Color of Peace

Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part VI  
  
"Is she going to be okay?" someone asked nervously.  
  
"I think so. She's breathing all right now," someone else replied. I opened my eyes, and quickly closed them again, blinded by bright light.  
  
"I'm all right," I murmured, eyes still closed.   
  
"Taiyani!!!" a familiar voice cried, taking my hand. I smiled, and carefully opened my eyes.   
  
"Where am I?"   
  
"You are in your neohome. Had quite a smash to the head. I wonder how you acquired that," a green gelert said.  
  
"Who're you?" I mumbled.   
  
"I'm the gelert doctor."  
  
I sat up. "What's going on?"  
  
"Hush," Dialin said softly. "We'll tell you later," she whispered in my ear.  
  
"Well, I'll be off now, just keep our Taiyani in bed for a while," the doctor said, picking up his bag and smiling. He left through the door of what I realized was my bedroom.  
  
"You want the whole story now?" Alysen asked, sitting down in a chair near my bed.   
  
"Yeah," I replied.  
  
"Well, after you went in the cave the doorway closed up, and we got really worried. Sakirina and Linkidu told us you'd be all right, but we still weren't sure. Then, around 7:30, there was a huge flash of rainbow light, and that stone techo blew up. We nearly got caught by some angry Islanders, but we escaped them. When we found you in the wreckage, we thought you were dead."  
  
"What happened to the gem?" I asked quietly.  
  
"It was destroyed. At least that's what Sakirina said. So was the wall, but I don't get that part of it," Dialin replied.  
  
"The wall," I whispered.   
  
"What is it?" Kyonga asked. I quickly related the story. Suddenly I thought of something.  
  
"What happened to Sakirina and Linkidu?"   
  
"They left a while ago. Said they had to go somewhere, but they'd visit later," Dialin replied, doodling in a small blue notebook.  
  
"Guys," Hallazi said, coming into the room, "let her sleep."  
  
"You're right," Dialin decided, shooing the pets out of the room. I settled back into my pillow, falling into the realm of dreams.  
  
***  
  
I was in a great room, furnished by large hangings with pictures of faeries. Ahead of me sat Fyora, the faerie queen, majestic on her huge throne. Next to her stood Sakirina and Linkidu. I slowly walked forward, and bowed to the queen.  
  
"Taiyani," she said. It seemed as if she would continue, but for the moment, she didn't. "You are brave. I see much the same qualities in you that I once saw in the other people and pets that had to bear the Gem of Truth. But let's put that behind us. It takes a strong heart to defy evil. It takes an even stronger heart not to forget your friends."  
  
"I agree," Sakirina told me. "You are much like me. Somehow, I'm not surprised.  
  
"For your courageous actions, we want to reward you," Fyora said.  
  
"But I don't want an award," I protested.  
  
"Never the less, I think you should have this." Fyora handed me a chain. On the chain was a small crystal pendant. It was shaped like a star, and had the colors of the six elements. It also had a new color: white.   
  
"White is the color of peace. All the elements bound together," Fyora told me.  
  
"Thank you," I breathed. The queen smiled.  
  
"You are very welcome. But one last thing. Though the Gem of Truth has been destroyed, you will always be different. That cannot be change. You must accept it."  
  
I nodded my understanding. "Good bye," Fyora concluded, and I slipped back into a dreamless sleep, the voices of Fyora and Sakirina echoing through head, still clutching the pendant.  
  
Epilogue  
  
Now that the Gem of Truth has been destroyed, I see what the faerie queen meant. I am alone, mentally if not physically. My friends and I are closer together now, and yet we are farther apart. Though that does not make sense, it is true. The gem has been destroyed, hopefully for good. I'm not exactly sure what happened when I put it in the center of that star, for that depth of power is beyond me. As Fyora said, I know now that it does take a strong heart not to forget your friends. I still have the pendant, and I think the most important color it contains is white: the color of binding. The color of peace. I cannot forget that.  
  
Author's Note: Though these stories, chronicling a time of uncertainty, bravery, and many other things, have ended, their words still echo through my mind, if not in the minds of others. And really, it is the end. There will be no more stories about the Gem of Truth, unless I decide to write the creation of the gem in a full-length story. I hope you have enjoyed these tales, as I have enjoyed writing them. As always, you can definitely send me feedback and tips on my writing. I like feedback. ^_^ 


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